


a test of our camaraderie and bravery

by HuiLian



Series: Batman Bingo 2020 [5]
Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Bickering, Fluff, Gen, Swearing, YeetDC2020, might have a part two that has more of them, minimal editing we die like mne, there's cameos of bruce dick and babs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:14:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26047843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HuiLian/pseuds/HuiLian
Summary: Once they’re up and in Babs’ apartment, however, something very wrong is clear. Babs is not home.Steph frowns. This is not good. “Have you called Babs we’re coming?” she asks.“No.” Cass shrugs. “I thought you’re doing it.”Steph stares at her. “Cass,” she says. “Cassandra. The very best of the best. Defeater of Lady Shiva. My bosom friend. What, and I can’t emphasize this enough,” she gestures with her hands, “the fuck?”
Relationships: Stephanie Brown & Cassandra Cain
Series: Batman Bingo 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1821709
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	a test of our camaraderie and bravery

**Author's Note:**

> how come this silly little fic turns out to be a 2k+ one? and might still have a second chapter????????????  
> how??????????????
> 
> for batman bingo 2020, prompt: i know this looks bad...  
> title from Stay Alive-Hamilton

_Ring… Ring…_

Ugh. Who’s calling at- Steph checks her alarm clock- one p.m. on a Saturday? 

Huh. Okay. Maybe _a lot_ of people are going to be calling at one p.m. on a Saturday. 

Steph groans. How is this her life? Going on patrol until 4 a.m. practically every night, then going to class, and then her training sessions and gear check-up. Not to mention the open cases she would have. It’s no wonder that she’s asleep at one p.m. on a Saturday.

Bats, she swears. They snuck up on her without her realizing and before she knows it, she’s one of them. 

Steph gropes her nightstand for her phone and puts it on her ears. “Hello?” she mumbles out. 

The ringtone answers her. 

Shit. She forgot to actually answer the call. 

Squinting from the phone’s light, Steph slides the ‘accept call’ button and then put it back to her ears. “Yeah?” she mumbles again. 

“Hello, Stephanie,” Bruce’s voice answers her. What did she do now? “I’m wondering if you need any transportation to go to the Manor tonight.”

Wait. Hold up. What transportation? Why does she need to go to the Manor tonight? 

Steph frowns. She’s not missing any cases, is she?

Steph bites her lips, not wanting another lecture from Bruce if her missing a case is the reason she’s being summoned to the Manor, but then, if a lecture _is_ the reason why, Bruce isn’t going to say the Manor, much less ask if she needs transportation. He’s just going to order her to be in the Cave before patrol tonight and be done with it. 

Steph decides to ask, “Why am I going to the Manor tonight?”

Silence greets her. Huh. It seems that Bruce is as confused as she is. 

A rustle on the background, before Dick’s voice comes out of her phone. “Hey, Steph, this is Dick. We have that gala tonight? You’re invited?” 

“What gala?” Steph is getting even more confused now. “I don’t know about any galas. Much less being invited to one.”

“Hold up,” Dick says. An argument follows, but Steph is too sleepy and tired to try to parse out the entirety of the argument from the bits and pieces she can hear. She just lets the argument wash over her. 

Finally, Bruce asks, “Have I sent you the invitation for tonight’s gala, Stephanie?”

“Nope,” Steph answers, too tired to rack her mind for an invitation, but still very confident of her answer. She would _notice_ an invitation to a Wayne Gala. 

Her _mom_ would notice an invitation to a Wayne Gala. 

“Ah,” Bruce says. A moment later, her phone pings again, and Steph, eyes still squinting from the phone’s light -seriously, why do they make phone screens so bright?- opens the message and reads it. 

It’s an invitation. 

To the Wayne Gala. For tonight. 

Which Bruce apparently forgot to send to her. 

Damn it, Bruce. 

“Hi, Steph, this is Dick again. Sorry for Bruce being, for lack of a better word, a dick. We know it’s super last minute, and you don’t have to come if you don’t want to. We’ll blame the whole thing on Bruce.”

Steph reads the invitation again. A gala at the Wayne Manor, tonight, at 8 p.m., to raise money and awareness for innocent families of criminals. So _that’s_ why they want her to come. 

She doesn’t want to go. She really doesn’t want to go. She doesn’t want to be poked and prodded and interrogated by the upper class of Gotham. She especially doesn’t want them to look at her with a mixture of pity and disgust that only the wealthy can perfect. 

She mumbles something to the phone in line with that. She doesn’t really know what she actually said, but Dick seems to get the gist, because he says, “Alright then, Steph. Have a good day. I’ll tell Tim and Cass and Damian that you won’t be coming. Like I said, we’ll blame the whole thing on Bruce. It _is_ his fault. I’ll see you after the gala for patrol!”

Steph grunts something that could be charitably called a goodbye before shutting down the phone. She’s going back to sleep. 

***

Wait. Did Dick say _Cass_ is going to be there?

***

She’s going to the gala. Damn it all to hell, but she’s going to the gala. Cass is there, and she hasn’t seen her in _ages_ , so Steph, despite everything in her mind telling her not to, is going to the gala. 

The only problem is that her entire makeup stash is empty. Don’t ask her why. She also doesn’t know. 

Sure, she can go makeup-less. It’ll make a statement, yada-yada-yada, but she doesn’t want to be prodded and interrogated anymore than she already will be. Women wear make-up to galas, and those who don’t will be asked why, etc. etc. etc. Steph doesn’t have the energy to defend that to an entire room full of pricks. 

So she’s going to need make-up, but she doesn’t have _any_ of it. Like seriously. Not even her foundation and lipstick, which she _knows_ she has a lot of. 

Oh. She lent them to Kara for a case a couple of days ago. Damn it. 

She _can_ ask for her mom’s but, her mom’s makeup is _so different_ from hers. 

Wait. She’s doing this to spend some time with her best friend. She can just ask for Cass’ makeup, and they can spend the time together!

An excellent idea, Steph. Why the hell didn’t you think of this first?

She moves to call Cass, but stops before she reaches the phone. Cass is not going to answer her phone. It’s _Cass_. 

She might as well just go to the Manor and break into Cass’ room. 

***

“Cass!” Steph yells, lengthening the syllable. “Open up!”

Nothing. 

Steph breathes in, then yells again. “Cass! I’m coming in!” She opens Cass’ door and turns on the light in the room. Of course Cass is still asleep. Steph can’t even blame her, because she too, wants to be asleep. 

Can’t they _both_ just skip the gala and nap in Cass’ room?

Before Steph can flop to Cass’ bed, however, Cass wakes up. She blinks up at Steph blearily and barks out, “What?”

Steph shrugs. “I was going to ask to use your makeup for the gala tonight,” Steph flops to Cass’ bed anyway, “but I’m thinking we _both_ should just skip and stay here.”

“Can’t,” Cass groans. “Alfred.”

Steph winces. If Alfred is involved, then they have no way of getting out of this gala. 

“Fine,” Steph sighs. “Then I’m using your makeup.”

“I don’t have any,” Cass mumbles out. 

Steph turns to Cass, panicked. “What?” she screeches out. “I came all the way here to steal your makeup, Cass. I don’t have any either.”

“Just go without,” Cass mumbles again. She yawns, before saying, “I am.”

“No!” Steph objects. “I don’t want to be a spectacle anymore than I already will be!”

Cass is silent for a while, long enough that Steph is afraid that she’s fallen asleep again, but eventually, she says, “Let’s use Babs’.”

Oh! That’s a great idea! Why didn’t Steph think of that before?

“You’re a genius!” Steph says, smacking Cass’ arm. She just grunts back, pulling Steph’s arm into her own grip and using Steph as a pillow. 

Oh well. Steph guesses that they can spend a few more minutes napping. 

***

Steph wakes up, feeling content. That feeling only lasts for one second, however, because the moment she sees the clock in Cass’ room, she panicked immediately.

It’s _six_ already. How the hell are they going to go to Babs’ tower, use her makeup, then come back to the Manor, and get ready for the gala, all before eight?

“Cass,” Steph hisses. “Cass, wake up! We need to go!”

Cass mumbles something and goes right back to sleep.

“Cass!” Steph says, louder. “Wake up! We’re going to be late!”

No response. 

Heavy-duty artillery, then. “Cassandra, if you don’t wake up, I’m telling Babs about that time with the-”

A hand clamps Steph’s mouth. 

“Shh,” Cass hisses out. “Don’t _say_ that.”

Steph makes a face at Cass. Even though Cass’ hand is still on Steph’s face, Steph is sure that Cass knows that she’s doing. 

Evidence? Cass makes a face back at Steph. 

“Are we going or not?” Steph says, muffled by Cass’ hand. 

Cass seems to understand perfectly though, because after making another face, she sighs, “Fine.”

Steph pumps her fist. “Come on, then! We’re already late as it is!”

Cass groans, but eventually gets up. They spend a few minutes detangling themselves, because, apparently, in their sleep, they manage to make a giant pretzel with their bodies. 

Correction. _Steph_ spends a few minutes detangling them, because Cass, the little shit that she is, just laughs at her. 

It doesn’t take too long, thankfully. They’re out and speeding to Babs’ tower before long in Cass’ bike with her driving. 

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but Steph is starting to regret agreeing to ride Cass’ bike. Honestly, _who_ taught this girl how to drive? Steph is going to kill them, as soon as she can stand up without puking all over. 

“Cass!” Steph yells, trying to get her voice heard. “Slow down!”

“I thought you want to get there as fast as we can!” 

“Not at the cost of puking my guts out, Cass! Watch out!”

Cass laughs, swerving to dodge the car coming in their direction.

“Cass!” Steph screams. 

“It’s fine!” 

“It’s _not_ fine!”

“It’s fine!”

“You’re a menace to society!” Steph screams out, clutching Cass’ waist as she swerves, at high speed, _yet again_. 

“I’m a delight!” comes the answer. And well, Steph can’t argue with that, can she? Even if Cass _is_ a menace.

Finally, _finally_ , they reach Babs’ tower, _in one piece_. Steph is _never_ letting Cass drive her anywhere, ever again. 

“Come on.” Cass tilts her head towards the elevator, not looking dazed _at all_ after that ride from hell. 

“Just…” Steph gasps. “Let me… catch my breath.”

“You’re the one who doesn’t want to be late. Come on.”

And with that, Cass walks into the elevator. Steph gives her a _look_ , before surrendering and getting into the elevator too. 

Once they’re up and in Babs’ apartment, however, something very wrong is clear. Babs is not home. 

Steph frowns. This is not good. “Have you called Babs we’re coming?” she asks. 

“No.” Cass shrugs. “I thought you’re doing it.”

Steph stares at her. “Cass,” she says. “Cassandra. The very best of the best. Defeater of Lady Shiva. My bosom friend. What, and I can’t emphasize this enough,” she gestures with her hands, “ _the fuck_?”

Cass just shrugs again. “I thought you’re doing it.”

Steph breathes out. “We’re fucked. We’re absolutely fucked. Just dig our graves now, Cass. We’re going to need it.”

“Relax,” Cass says. “We can just grab what we need and go back. No big deal.”

“Are you _crazy_?” Steph grits out. “It’s _Babs_. She’s going to find out, no matter what we do.”

“Then she already knows,” Cass says nonchalantly. “We might as well go get her makeup.”

Steph opens her mouth to argue, but she can’t say anything with that logic. Babs probably already knows the moment they reach the Tower’s threshold. They might as well go through with it. 

“Fine,” Steph sighs. “But,” she points to Cass, “if she comes, I’m telling her it’s your idea.”

“Fine,” Cass grumbles. But then, she says under her breath, “It’s your idea in the first place.”

“Excuse me?” Steph turns to her. “ _My_ idea?”

Cass sticks out her tongue. “Makeup. _Your_ idea.”

Steph opens her mouth, offended, before closing it again. Yeah, okay. _That_ is her idea. But _not_ breaking into Babs’ room!

“You know what?” Steph says, resigned. “Let’s just get the makeup and get the hell out of here.”

Cass lifts her shoulder in the universal gesture of ‘sure’. 

“No going back,” Steph warns. 

Cass nods. 

Steph nods back.

Here we go. 

***

They’re halfway through rummaging Bab’s stash of makeup when they hear the sound of wheels rolling. Shit. Babs is home. 

Steph makes eye contact with Cass and then, at the same time, they stuff Babs’ makeup back in the bags, trying to remember how all of them are organized before.

“Quick, quick, quick,” Steph whispers. 

“I’m trying,” Cass whispers back. 

Lady luck is not on their side, however, because just as Cass is putting the last product in, - a truly amazing eyeliner, where did Babs buy it?- the door opens. 

Babs looks at them. They look back. 

“I know this looks bad…” Steph smiles awkwardly, “but we can explain?” 

Babs frowns, opens her mouth, closes it again, then pinches the bridge of her nose. “I don’t want to know, Stephanie,” she sighs. “Just… just don’t make a mess, yeah?”

Cass gives her a thumbs-up. Babs takes another look at the two of them, before sighing again and rolling out. 

Steph grimaces. They’re fucked. They’re totally fucked. 

**Author's Note:**

> chapter 2 might be the prompt for gala. i don't know, haven't written it yet
> 
> check out my tumblr (huilian.tumblr.com)  
> kudos and comments fuel me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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